Ingalls Shipbuilding begins fabrication of DDG 121 for US Navy

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division yesterday marked the start of fabrication for the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) for the U.S. Navy. The start of fabrication signifies that 100 tons of steel have been cut, the shipbuilding company said in a news release.

“This is a significant day for our shipbuilders and for the U.S. Navy as Ingalls once again begins fabrication of another destroyer,” said George Nungesser, Ingalls’ DDG 51 program manager. “We have delivered 28 of these ships to the U.S. Navy, and our experienced and talented shipbuilders are more than ready to produce another high-quality destroyer. This is our fourth destroyer started in three years, and we are seeing the efficiencies that come from building these ships back-to-back.”

DDG 121 is the third of five DDG 51 destroyers the company was awarded in June 2013. The five-ship contract, part of a multi-year procurement in the DDG 51 program, allows Ingalls to build ships more efficiently by buying bulk material and moving the skilled workforce from ship to ship.

The guided missile destroyer honors Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr., who was the first African-American aviator and general officer in the United States Marine Corps. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars.

The highly capable, multi-mission ship can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

About Huntington Ingalls Industries
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America’s largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of engineering, manufacturing and management services to the nuclear energy, oil and gas markets. For more than a century, HII’s Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs nearly 36,000 people operating both domestically and internationally.